Authorities recovered a vehicle from the Green River on Thursday that’s linked to a 2008 missing person’s case.
At about noon Thursday, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office received a call that a 2002 Ford Ranger was located near the Spottsville boat ramp.
Henderson County Sheriff Chip Stauffer said the truck is connected to a July 31, 2008, missing person investigation out of Owensboro. Charles Haywood was reported missing in 2008 at the aged of 91.
When deputies arrived on scene Thursday, they met with Trey Lombardo, a hobbyist diver. Lombardo said he located the truck in the Green River.
Lombardo had recovered the license plate out of the water into his boat. He told the deputies that he also had placed a magnet and rope with a buoy to mark the location in the river.
Several agencies were called to the location to help recover the vehicle, including the Ohio Township Fire Department and their diver, the Henderson Fire Department and their sonar boat, Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson County Emergency Medical Services.
Officials with Henderson EOC said the “team effort of this recovery went smoothly with all departments coming together. Officials thanked Rideouts -Tri-State Towing “for their very cautious and meticulous efforts to gently remove the vehicle in an effort to keep everything intact.”
EOC officials said they spoke with family members of Haywood. The family members expressed their appreciation “as this will give them closure to just one chapter of this case and that was finding where he was at.”
Owensboro Police Department said that during the search, skeletal remains were located inside the vehicle. Investigators also located a wallet containing Charles Haywood’s driver’s license.
OPD said all windows of the vehicle remained intact, the doors were closed, and foul play is not suspected at this time.
Investigators presumptively believe the remains are those of Charles William Haywood and have been in contact with his family, according to a news release. The remains have been transported to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville for further examination.
Positive identification is pending confirmation through DNA analysis and dental records.
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